Celebrity Traitors final: James Blunt admits why he didn’t even want to make it
Singer narrowly missed out on winningJames Blunt has admitted he didn’t want to make the Celebrity Traitors final, but “couldn’t find a way out” of the game.
The singer said he felt he was doing everything wrong, yet was never murdered or banished, until Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft voted him out in the closing moments before they went on to win as Faithfuls.
What James Blunt said after the Celebrity Traitors final
Speaking after the final, James told the Press Association: “I’m thrilled with the end. From the bottom of my heart, thrilled.”
Reflecting on his own game, he added: “I’d hoped I didn’t make it that far. Just I couldn’t, couldn’t find a way out.
“I was doing everything wrong, and no one was murdering me, and no one was banishing me.”
He called the series “intense” and said he “really enjoyed it”.
Why did James Blunt choose to banish again?
At the final fire pit, Romesh said that a conversation with Sebastian had changed his mind about whether James was a Faithful or a Traitor.
That cast doubt both ways. James chose to banish again, explaining that Romesh had “left a question mark in my head”. In other words, he was no longer sure Romesh was a Faithful.
It was a costly call. In the Celebrity Traitors endgame, if only Faithfuls remain when the players vote to end the game, they share the prize. If a Traitor is still among them, the Traitor takes it all. After King Kenny was banished, James, Romesh and Sebastian were all Faithfuls. Had they voted to end the game there, the three would have split the £83,000.
Instead, banishing again put James at risk, and Romesh and Sebastian voted him out.
What did Sebastian Croft say when he voted out James Blunt?
Sebastian, aka Bash, said before the vote: “I believe you’re both faithful, and I’m sad to be in this predicament.”
He apologised to James, saying he believed he was a Faithful, but that he was “a man of my word” and had to vote for him.
How did the Celebrity Traitors final play out?
The final began with Michael Sheen murdered, leaving six players: Maya Jama, King Kenny, James Blunt, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Romesh and Sebastian.
At the last round table, the group banished Traitor Maya Jama, with fellow Traitor King Kenny voting against her.
At the fire pit, the players chose to banish again, and Leigh-Anne went first. James and King Kenny then tied, so Romesh and Sebastian broke the tie and banished Kenny, the last Traitor. That’s when James chose to banish once more.
Which charity was James Blunt playing for?
James was playing for the Blue Marine Foundation, a London-based ocean conservation charity that grew out of the 2009 overfishing documentary The End of the Line.
Because he was banished before the end, his charity didn’t share in the prize.
Who won Celebrity Traitors 2026?
Comedian and presenter Romesh Ranganathan and actor Sebastian Croft won as Faithfuls. Sebastian, best known as Ben Hope in Netflix’s Heartstopper, said winning “might actually be the best day of my life”.
The final prize pot was £83,000, including £18,500 added in the final mission, so each winner’s charity receives £41,500.
This year, every Traitor was caught.
In 2025, Alan Carr won the first series as a Traitor, taking home £87,500 for Neuroblastoma UK.
When is James Blunt on The Graham Norton Show?
James is booked for The Graham Norton Show on Friday, November 6. Eagle-eyed fans spotted James’ Graham Norton booking before the final and took it as a sign he’d make it to the end (which, we know now, he did!).
The Celebrity Traitors 2026 is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI technology to synthesise source reporting and structured data. It has been reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by our human editorial team before publication.
